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Border trade at goodwill gates ties India-Myamnar
Publish Date : 12/2/2004 2:34:00 PM   Source : Business News Onlypunjab.com

A  four hours  (110 kms) of bumpy zigzag drive form the capital  city  of
Imphal will take you to the border town of Moreh, India's gateway
to South East Asian countries, where border trade is  flourishing
with  neighbouring Myanmar.
 
The  two  townships  of  Moreh (India)  and  Tamu  (Myanmar)  are
separated  by an international border, a varied culture  and  and
awesomely scenic and natural landscape. 
But  both towns share a special bond -- border trade -- legal  as
well as illegal.
 
This  is the major source of income for people on either side  of
the  divide.  People  from Manipur and  other  parts  of  India's
northeast  come  here to purchase goods -- local and  of  foreign
make,  which  are mainly made in China & Thailand, at  a  cheaper
price.
 
P  Kumar,  who runs a hotel at Moreh, admits that trade  is  very
much prevalent here and major source of livelihood for people  of
both sides.
 
W  Pradip Singh, a resident from Imphal, says that the  charm  of
getting foreign goods at a cheap cost is different. " This is the
second  time  I am coming here...I shall come here again  to  buy
foreign goods, especially cloths and shoes..." he adds.
 
There  are two gates between Moreh and Tamu to cross over to  the
other side, out of which the second gate is used for trading. The
residents  of  both the areas can be seen crossing  over  to  the
other side returning with some stuff in their hand.
 
No  doubt,  this has given rise to illegal trade as  many  people
carry stuff from the other part of the border without paying  the
duty and then sell it in their market.
 
"Normally  I  come here (Moreh) every ten days  and  buy  foreign
goods  form Tamu. I sell them in my shop in Imphal and  get  good
margin", says Shamu. "I don't know on which product I am  suppose
to  pay  duty...  but  I have  been  buying  various  items  from
electronic  goods to cloths, shoes, decorative items...but  never
paid a duty till date", he admits innocently.
 
Trade between India and Myanmar was inaugurated on April 12, 1995
by the then Union Minister of State for Commerce, as a  follow-up
measure  of the Trade Agreement signed between the two  countries
on 21st January, 1994, at New Delhi.
 
Subsequently,  the  residents  have  been  allowed  22  items  as
exchangeable  across the border. The main role of the  Department
of  Commerce  and  Industries is to act as a  liaison  agent  for
promotion of border trade between India and Myanmar.
 
The  market  in Tamu is more developed as most of  foreign  goods
dumped by China are sent to India via the gates opened to Myanmar
as  a goodwill gesture by India, which are later send to  various
parts of the country for sale in Indian markets.
 
According to experts, middle class families dominate India so the
durability  of the  products hardly matters. The  products  being
economical  and  tagged  "Made in China"  or  any  other  foreign
country is enough to create the demand.
 
It  may be mentioned here that the recently organised  ASEAN  car
rally  had  its  motto of promoting trade  and  commerce  in  the
northeast region by integrating the region with the ASEAN nations
thorough  an  express  highway to South  East  Asia  through  the
region. (ANI)